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What is the Best Gift for Someone Struggling with Infertility (5 Ideas)
What is the best gift for someone struggling with infertility?
As someone who struggled with secondary infertility for a couple of years, I know first-hand that this can be a very sensitive subject.
If there’s one thing every couple struggling with infertility has in common, it is that suppressed desperation that is ever-present, just slightly under the surface and ever threatening to slip to the fore and even innocent gifts or hints of the situation can trigger this.
A gift that would have meant a lot any other time, could do the opposite and remind her of her struggle.
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What then is the best gift for someone struggling with infertility?
First off, there are some gifts you should give only if you have a close relationship with this person to keep from hurting their sensibility.
The best gift for someone struggling with infertility varies and depends on a few things:
- How close you are to this person.
- How affected they are by their situation (as far as you can tell).
When I struggled with infertility after my daughter was born, I had a lot of people offer advice that just seemed to rub me the wrong way. This advice was unsolicited and I felt they didn’t know me well enough nor had any idea what my medical history was to be offering such.
My infertility was only for a few years, however, it seemed like forever as it was largely unexplained. My daughter had been conceived barely six weeks after I started trying and here I was, three years into trying for the second with no success and no medical reason that could be pinpointed.
Friends took it upon themselves to start offering medical and health advice and I had absolutely no issue with this. Where I drew the line, however, was with people I didn’t have that close of a relationship with, trying to do the same.
Although in retrospect, I realize they meant well, however, there’s just something about a stranger thinking they know you that well that will never sit well with you.
Having experienced this, these days, unless I know a person well enough and have a close relationship with them or at least a friendly one, I never presume to offer them a particular type of gift, if I know they are struggling with infertility.
Some gifts will always be well received if you happen to be quite close to her even if they are fertility-related, and you want to opt for something more general if you two aren’t close.
That said, here are
9 Best Gift Ideas for Someone Struggling with Infertility
1) Fertility Care Package
Fertility struggles open your eyes to a whole new world. Some of the things you will quickly come to learn are that there is a wrong and then a right diet to improve your chances of conceiving.
There are also herbs, teas, and other fertility-boosting items that can be equally helpful.
A fertility care package is a great gift for someone struggling with infertility and she would thank you for this.
Most are sold on Amazon or you could just easily assemble a package of your own, that way you can include a few items you know work fast and would be especially beneficial to her. These kinds of gifts have a personal touch to them and are appreciated a lot more.
If you are tilting towards assembling one yourself, here’s an idea of what you could include:
- Fertility herbal teas
- Fertility supplements (usually a brand known to be the most effective)
- A fertility detox kit
- Fertility massage oils plus a fertility massage instruction manual.
- Self-care kit for the mom
- A motivational guide to keeping her spirits up or if she is religious, then a prayer book on fertility and conception)
Also, while this should cover all the basics of what’s needed by your friend, it is important to note that the exact items that go into a fertility care package would also depend on the fertility option your friend is going for.
This list would be great for a couple opting for a regular fertility option but might vary slightly if they are looking toward IVF or other fertility-assisted procedures.
2) Fertility Books
There is a lot of information on fertility and conception out there and while a lot is quite helpful, a few could contain a few wrong information that a couple struggling with infertility doesn’t need at this time.
For instance, while I struggled to conceive I met a friend who revealed having sexual intercourse during your period was the fastest way to get pregnant.
Err…yuck?!
She revealed this worked for her and all I needed to do was convince my partner to go through with it.
If I could convince myself to go through with it first!
Of course, while I appreciated her help, I knew this was one suggestion I would definitely not be going through with.
My infertility journey had made me garner as much information as I possibly could on the subject and while I knew there was some truth to her words; a possibility (a teeny weeny one) of getting pregnant if you had sex during your period (and this only if you had a really short cycle and became intimate towards the end of your period), the chances were slim to negligible to even be tempting.
Arming your friend with the right information will put her in a place to always make the right, informed decision and this is what gifting her a fertility book will do for her.
3) Personal Journal
There will be those days where, no matter how much she tries, her infertility will hit hard.
Times, when a friend announces her pregnancy, does a baby shower, announces her birth, or she gets a reminder of her state will be tough for her.
At these times, she needs a friend who is ready to listen to her pain for the hundredth time without the slightest hint of impatience at having heard that story so many times.
A personal journal is just the guy for this. It doesn’t even have to be fertility-related. Any well-crafted journal will do and the best part is that this becomes a keepsake for when she finally gets pregnant later on.
4) A Personalized Session with a Fertility Expert or Coach
Getting a session with a renowned (and successful) fertility expert might not be the next thing on her mind and getting your friend on one of such visits can be a great gift.
It’s especially great arranging with a fertility coach you or someone else close to you used that worked for you.
5) Fertility Group Membership
A fertility group, organized and run by one or more professionals is also a terrific gift option.
I joined a few of these (and I still am a member of a few) and besides the obvious benefits of getting expert fertility information and help, there’s also the fact you would be surrounded by couples with a similar struggle with you all offering some sort of comfort to one another by your very presence alone.
It’s also easy for couples who have achieved some success to share tips and ideas that worked for them in the hopes that one more couple might benefit from it.
6) Herbs or Supplements That Worked for You
If you also experienced some form of a struggle getting pregnant it would also be a great idea to share tips and information that worked for you.
Of course, while every infertility case is unique, no information is ever truly wasted.
Some medications are general, like supplements, herbs, or vitamins, and would be beneficial on an infertility journey.
7) Bracelet
Fertility bracelets perform dual functions, which is why they come highly recommended. Besides carrying out a few medical functions like monitoring your skin temperature, breathing rate, resting pulse rate, heart rate variability ratio, and sleep, all of which are needed to correctly predict your ovulation, they also serve as a source of comfort and succor to you.
Since, as a woman, there’s just a twenty-four-hour period when a mature egg is released, it helps to be able to predict this exact date, greatly boosting your chances of conceiving.
8) Yourself
Knowing she has someone to talk to, someone not likely to get exasperated having to listen to the same cries, especially if it’s been a while, will go a long way.
Infertility is tough, and while there will be moments when she puts up a happy face and acts like all is well, for the most part, she won’t always feel that way and at these times she needs to know she can always run to you.
Other Thoughtful Gifts
Other gift types will also make for excellent gift choices. One more best gift for someone struggling with infertility, especially if her inability to conceive is brought on by one or recurrent miscarriages, is a rainbow gift.
A rainbow gift signifies hope, letting her know that a rainbow comes after the rain and her struggles won’t last forever.
There are a ton of rainbow gift ideas to choose from here. A rainbow phone case would work fine here, and so would a rainbow memory book.
Even a rainbow baby blanket for when her baby does finally come would also be an excellent option.
Other equally great gifts for the struggling mom include:
- A gift card to their favorite restaurant.
- A relaxing couple massage.
- A box of fertility essential oil blend.
- A pineapple-themed gift as this fruit has become the symbol of positive fertility.
- Meal delivery or takeout service, which is great to get her to eat often since having a lot on her mind might make her forget sometimes.
- A planner for organizing the different appointments she has to meet, especially when related to her fertility, as well as to keep track of all the steps on her fertility journey.
- A gift card for a massage, just to pamper her and help her relax those muscles a lot more.
- Fertility affirmation cards to keep her spirits up, especially at those dark moments.
- A test pack consisting of pregnancy and ovulation strips
- A heating pad for when she does finally put to bed.
- A pack of fertility treatment planner stickers as an alternative to the fertility planner.
- A customized water bottle to remind her to drink up, and keep her body healthy.
- A gift for her husband since men are often overlooked in most infertility cases. The pain hits them just as hard and a thoughtful gift to her for him will go a long way and be well-received.
Customized gifts will work well here, and so will gifts that breathe some rays of hope into his heart.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Fertility and Conception
- How do you help someone who is struggling to get pregnant?
One of the best ways to help someone struggling to get pregnant is to show support as best you can.
Giving gifts geared towards helping them improve the situation is great, and so is being a listening ear and offering a pair of strong shoulders for them to lean on.
- What does pineapple mean for infertility?
Pineapple is the symbol of infertility and in a good way, especially when connected to IVF. While struggling with infertility can be hard, the shape of a pineapple encourages women to stand tall through it all.
Pineapple is known to contain an enzyme, bromelain, which is effective in helping an embryo implant.
A pineapple-themed gift can be just about anything, from a pair of stockings to a pendant on a necklace, or a pin for a shirt.
The idea is to give a gift with an image of this pineapple signifying hope.
3) How Does Infertility Affect a Women
Each woman will process the journey of infertility differently. However, it is mostly a painful and emotional experience for every woman, bringing on a lot of psychological effects including stress, anxiety, depression, reduced self-esteem, and sometimes a decline in sexual satisfaction.
Some women find it also affects their lives so drastically as to somewhat reduce their quality of life.
4) How do you know if you struggle with infertility?
Infertility is most times diagnosed if a couple, who is trying to conceive, has had unprotected sex for a year without a positive result. If the woman is 35 years and older, then they are diagnosed with infertility after six months of having unprotected sex.
5) How do you know if you will struggle with infertility?
There are usually signs that serve as pointers to the fact you might experience infertility later on.
These signs include but are not limited to having abnormal periods, irregular periods, painful periods, no periods, hair thinning, a change in your sex drive, skin changes, unexplained weight gain, milky weight breast discharge (while not breastfeeding), and painful sex.
While some of these signs are nothing to worry about, it’s always best and strongly recommended to have them checked to rule out any abnormalities.
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